Bag and closure means therefor



s. KAMINS ET AL 13,486,683

BAG AND CLOSURE MEANS THEREFOR Dec. 30, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 8, 1967 FIG. 3A.

INVENTORS NORM/9N IFOSE/VEER no. 2A.

PM 4 M ZTTORLNEY s. KAMINS 'ET AL 3,486,683

BAG AND CLOSURE MEANS THEREFOR Dec. 30, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 8, 1967 FIG. 5.

a FIG. IO.

FIG, 9.

110 LIO M 6 /J R,

wu Mn I A M 5 K0 R R W W A mm E (Km M M United States Patent 3,486,683 BAG AND CLOSURE MEANS THEREFOR Seymour Kamins, Oceanside, and Norman Rosenberg,

Bayside, N.Y., assignors to CTP Industries, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 666,245 Int. Cl. B65d 33/06, 77/14; A45c 13/26 US. Cl. 229-54 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE has a handle grip and/or hook portion integrally con-- nected therewith, but such member is constructed in such manner that when the two members are placed in juxtaposition for closure of the mouth of the bag, the handle and/or hook of this invention presents the same solid and substantial appearance and feel as does a conventional two-piece handle and closure means of the prior art.

Various types of bags are known in the art, including numerous kinds made of thermoplastic material. Many of the prior art bags include a combination handle and closure means for the bag which makes it possible to provide a tight closure therefor.

It is also well known in the art to provide bags whose main body portion is formed of a thin film or thermoplastic material such as the more common vinyl or polyethylene plastics. The prior art further teaches the use of a combination handle and closure means for such a thinfilm plastic bag which is welded or cemented or otherwise fastened to the thin film forming the bag walls. It is also common to fabricate the handle and. closure means from a thermoplastic having a substantially heavier gauge than that of the thin film used for the main portion of the bag since this provides greater strength and provides a desirable rigidity to the mouth of the bag, thereby making it more convenient to open the bag and to maintain it open for obtaining access to its interior.

In addition to the foregoing, it is also known in the art to provide a combination handle and closure means which comprises two substantially similar members formed of a semi-rigid material such as a fairly heavy gauge plastic which are each welded or heat sealed to the mouth of the bag. To open the bag, it is then only necessary to grasp the two handle portions with ones right and left hands, respectively, and separate the two handle portions.

Quite often, a securing or locking means is employed which tends to hold the two oppositely disposed handle portions together, thereby effectively maintaining a tight closure of the mouth of the bag. In its most practical form, such a fastening means may comprise a small protuberance on one member which frictionally engages an indentation or recess in the opposite member as is, for example, shown in the patent to Harrah, No. 2,978,769. To open a bag which is provided with such a closure means, it is again only necessary to separate the two handle portions, but now, obviously, somewhat more force is required to accomplish this because the fasteners must first be unsnapped.

The bag handle and closure means of this invention provides substantially all the advantages of the prior art handle but does this in a considerably more economical 3,486,683 Patented Dec. 30, 1969 M CC manner. Thus, instead of employing two quite similar members to form, when juxtaposed, a single handle (and/ or hook) and closure means, it is contemplated by the present invention to form the handle (and/or hook) and closure means of two quite differently shaped parts. One of the parts comprises an elongate bar or strip having a surface thereon adapted for heat sealing to the thin-film thermoplastic material of the bag itself. Such member also has a handle grip portion extending upwardly from the elongate strip. The other member comprises essentially only an elongate strip having no handle and/or hook grip secured thereto but having a face or surface thereon which is adapted for heat sealing or similar type of engagement to the thin-film plastic material of the bag mouth. The opposite faces of the elongate strips are adapted to be detachably secured together by frictionally engaging elements on the two opposed adjacent faces. The hnadle (or hook) and closure means of this invention may, if desired, be used in connection with the pilfer-proof type of carrier bag construction as disclosed and claimed in the Kamins US. Patent No. 3,282,493.

In the closed position, the handle (and/or hook) and closure means of this invention gives the appearance of a prior art type of handle and/or hook as previously described. The single handle grip (and/or hook) portion integrally formed as part of the one member is of such a thickness as to extend beyond the plane of the elongate strip portion of the member so as to substantially overlie the other member and thus give substantially the same appearance as if the handle grip and/or hook were formed of two generally similar overlying portions.

. In describing the invention, reference will be made to the drawings in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a typical bag and handle closure means of the present invention showing particularly the two-part handle;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of one member of the handle and closure means of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 2A is a side view of the other member of the handle and closure means of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the handle member of FIGURE 2 taken along the section line 3-3;

FIGURE 3A is a sectional view of the handle member shown in FIGURE 2A and taken along the section line 3A-3A;

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the two handle members of FIGURE 1 with the two parts in assembled relationship;

FIGURE 5 is a view of one member of a modified closure and handle means of the present invention;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the handle portion of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a view of a modified form of the invention comprising a hook;

FIGURE 8 is a view of a further modified form of hook of the invention;

FIGURE 9 is a side view of one handle portion of a modified form of the invention;

FIGURE 9A is a side view of a handle portion adapted to mate with the handle portion of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 10 is a side cross-sectional view taken along the section line 1010 of FIGURE 9; and

FIGURE 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing the plprtions of FIGURES 9 and 9A in assembled relations 1p.

FIGURE 1 illustrates, in exploded, perspective view, a bag and a handle and closure means therefor, with the handle and closure means comprising a two-part construction including the member 10 and the mating member 11. Member comprises in part a longitudinal strip 12 having a longitudinal, recessed sealing portion 13 for sealing to the mouth of the bag wall 14. The portion 13 may be knurled or otherwise roughened to facilitate sealing with the thermoplastic bag material. Integrally formed with the elongate strip portion 12 is a handle grip or hook portion 15 which is shaped in the form of a hook and which joins with the elongate strip 12 by means of curved stress-distributing profiles 16 and 17. The handle or hook 15 is formed primarily of a relatively thin piece 23 of flexible plastic material having a gauge substantially the same as that of the maximum gauge of the material of strip 12 as shown more particularly in FIGURE 3. However, the handle or hook 15 is also formed in part of a wider, transverse web of material as indicated at 18, and this portion 18 gives extra rigidity to the handle or hook 15, substantially preventing its flexing in the overall plane of the handle member 10 in normal use.

It will be appreciated that the handle or hook 15 is adapted to be hung over a rod or the like, such as a clothes rod, and the inner curved surface of the portion 18 is provided with ridges or similar protuberances 19 which facilitate gripping the bag and also ensure spaced, multi-point contact with the rod over which the hook is hung to thereby minimize friction and permit free sliding and rotation of the handle and/or hook about the rod.

The mating member 11 is similarly provided with an elongate depressed face 20 as particularly shown in FIG- URE 4 which is adapted for the affixing thereto of the opposite mouth of the bag wall. It will be understood that the thin, thermoplastic material used for the bag wall may be secured to each of the handle members by heat sealing, gluing, stitching, etc.

The two members 10 and 11 have provision for frictional engagement with each other comprising elongate protuberances 21 on one of the two members such as the member 10 and mating recesses 22 in the other member. These are particularly shown in the cross-sectional view of FIGURE 4 which shows that the protuberance 21 may be of generally V-shaped construction fitting into a generally rectangular slot 22 formed in member 11, thereby locking members 10 and 11 against lateral movement relative to each other and also providing a dust-proof closure of the mouth of the bag. The members 10 and 11 are also secured together by means of protruding studs 24 on either or both of the members which fit into a respective complementary recess 25 on the other member as shown in FIGURE 3.

The member 11 is also preferably provided with a small upstanding tab 26 on the member 11. Tab 26 is provided to facilitate opening of the bag. Thus, to open the bag, the user need merely grip in one hand the handle grip or hook portion of member 10, and in the other hand laterally pull on the tab 26 so as to separate the two members 10 and 11 from each other against the frictional efiect of the locking means provided for these two members. A tab 24a may also be integrally formed on the bottom edge of member 11 for displaying thereon a trademark or the like.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6. This embodiment differs from that of FIGURES 1-4 previously discussed in that the inner curved portion of the handle or hook 15 is provided with an essentially scalloped configuration as indicated at 30. Such scalloped configuration takes the place of the integrally formed protuberances 19 as shown in FIGURE 1. As with the embodiment of FIG- URES 1-4, the embodiment of FIGURES 5 and 6 has the handle grip or hook portion 15 of member 10 formed of a relatively thin material as indicated at 23 but also is provided with a substantially thicker web portion 18 which, as shown in FIGURE 6, extends outwardly beyond the plane of the inner face of member 11.

The embodiment of FIGURE 7 differs principally in the configuration of the hook portion 15. Thus, the hook 15 comprises a portion 31 which is upstanding relative to the elongate strip 32 and further comprises a downwardly extending portion 33, thereby defining a generally circular central aperture 34 having a narrowed entranceway 35. This construction makes possible the hanging of a plurality of bags from a rod (not shown) in a secure fashion particularly if the rod is of such diameter as to be only slightly greater than the width of the constricted entranceway 35 while still readily fitting loosely within the larger aperture 34. An individual bag can be readily removed from such a rod only by the exertion of an upward force upon the handle so that the rod can slip through the constricted portion 35.

Concerning the embodiment of FIGURE 8, the hook portion 15 is again particularly adapted for hanging the bag upon a rod such as a circular rod which may be indicated, for example, by the dotted line circle 36. When one or more bags are intended to be hung from the rod 36, each hook portion 15 is pushed upwardly against the rod and is snapped in place as the opposed portions 37 are flexed outwardly by reason of the force exerted thereagainst. To remove the bag from the rod 36, this can be accomplished by merely pulling downwardly upon the bag or the handle so as to again flex the member 37 outwardly and thereby permit the hook to be detached from the rod.

A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGURES 9, 9A, 10 and 11. In this embodiment, the member 10 comprises the elongate strip 12 as in the other embodiments, but the handle grip portion comprises two upstanding portions 38 each of which is provided with stress-relieving profiles 43 and 44 at the point of juncture with the strip 12. The two upstanding portions 38 are each connected at their upper ends by a portion 39 which is generally parallel to the elongate strip 12. Portion 39 is provided with a curved cut-out portion 40 which permits one or more of the bags provided with the handle of FIG- URE 9 to be held in a balanced position upon a supporting rod or the like. As with the previously described embodiments, the handle portion 11 is adapted to be secured by frictional engaging means with the portion 10 as shown in FIGURE 10. Thus, one or a plurality of studs are pro vided in either or both of the members such as member 10, and each stud 41 is frictionally engaged within a complementary recess 42 in the other handle member as shown in FIGURE 11. FIGURE 10 illustrates the elongate protuberance 21 in member 10 and the corresponding slot 22 in the member 11.

Each of the members 10 and 11 in the embodiment of FIGURES 9-12 is provided with an upstanding tab 26. These are positioned so as to be closely spaced laterally along the respective longitudinal strip portions when members 10 and 11 are brought into registry to close the mouth of the bag.

In each of. the embodiments of FIGURES 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9-12, the handle grip and/or hook portion 15 of member 10 is preferably formed of a relatively thin piece of flexible plastic 23 and a thicker transverse web portion 18. Also, in each case, the handle grip and/or hook portion 15 overhangs the associated longitudinal strip just as in FIGURES 1-4.

What we claim is:

1. In a carrier bag having front and back walls formed of a thin-film thermoplastic material the improvement which comprises:

a combined carrying and closure means for said bag including first and second members each formed of a flexible material having a thickness and tensile strength substantially greater than the thin-film material of the bag walls, each said member having an elongate generally planar strip portion attached to a respectively opposite Wall of the bag at the mouth thereof,

only one of said two members having a carrying means integrally formed with and upstanding from the respective elongate strip portion,

at least one fastener means comprising first and second engaging elements on facing surfaces of the elongate strip portions of said two members when in register for securing together said two members,

said carrying means being generally planar and laterally olfset from the general plane of the elongate strip portion to which it is integrally attached so as to be centrally disposed of the juxtaposed combination of said elongate strip portions of said two members.

2. The carrier bag of claim 1 in which said upstanding carrying means further includes an integrally formed transverse web extending along a peripheral edge of said carrying means.

3. The carrier bag of claim 2 in which the other of said members includes an integrally formed upstanding tab disposed along the top edge of said elongate strip portion in such manner as to be spaced from said carrying means on said one member when said two members are juxtaposed.

4. The carrier bag of claim 1 in which said first engaging element of said fastener means comprises a longitudinal protuberance and said second engaging element comprises a complementary longitudinal recess for receiving said protuberance.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/ 1941 Shafarman.

- 2/1942 Hedu 190-37 5/1943 Guenther et al. 150-33 XR 5/ 1961 Greenwood 24-137 3/1967 Lindley 150 -3 4/1967 Renner et a1. ISO-1.7 X 7/ 1967 Rosen 248-340' 1/ 1968 Renner et a1 229-54 4/1968 Schwartzkopf 229-54 X 5/1968 Cox et al 248-340 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 5/1962 France. 3/ 1963 France. 12/ 1965 France.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

